Depending on what is going on in your work and/or personal life, trying to keep on top of it all and trying to stay organised is often easier said than done. Here are 5 ways I like to try and manage life, and my attempt at organisation!
An introduction into how I stay organised
Since I was 11 years old with my very first school planner, I was introduced into the helpful ways of self-organisation. As a pre-teen I probably didn’t find it as useful as I do now. But it began a long history of organisational tips, ones that I still use to this day.
Whilst there’s no doubt that any tip you find that can help save you time and help clear your mind is useful, I’m going to be highlighting 5 of my own that I think anyone can benefit from. That can be a work environment or as a personal tool.
If you’re struggling to stay organised, here are some ways you can keep on top of things and find the time to prioritise the things that matter instead!
Write a list
As old fashioned as it is, writing a list has never failed me! It doesn’t matter how much there is to do, or how little time there is to do it. I find it so much easier to get everything out and into a list. That way you can clearly see what needs to be done, and start making a plan of action about which to tackle first.
That’s why I write lists in all aspects of my life, and use various tools to do so. Going back to my first school planner at 11, it allowed me to see when my deadlines were, and what I needed to get done by when. Even now I use a planner every day for my personal life. It helps me highlight the different appointments I have, different tasks I need to do to help around the house, and different events coming up.
When it comes to my work life, there are a range of tools and software solutions I like to use. These are particularly helpful when working in an agency, as you can often get lost in-between tasks and clients. Here are my faves:
- Trello – for managing what needs to be done for each client, and sharing the workload between colleagues.
- Toggl – for tracking how long I’m spending on a task/client, and ensuring that my time is being used efficiently.
- Notes – the good old fashioned, iPhone notes app. This is great for writing down key points at meetings. It’s also good for random important things that come into my head at any given moment.
Stick to a routine
I would not be able to cope without some sort of routine in place. I find that when something messes that routine up, it seriously throws me off…
Now, you might be looking at my blog and thinking, what happened to the one-a-week routine? Bear with me, I’m getting back to it. Clearly I need to take my own advice that I’ve laid out in this post. For the most part however, my routines work! Whether you’re wanting to create a bit more structure in your daily life, or a productive morning routine for your work days, sticking to a routine can help transform your organisational habits.
There are a few ways in which you develop a new work/daily/weekly routine. If you’re looking to improve your mornings, start your efforts the night before. This can include getting your lunch packed, picking out your outfit, or going to bed an hour earlier than you usually do. Then the next day, you’ll already be ahead with some of your tasks!
If you’re looking to implement a new routine at work, try speaking to your colleagues or boss about the ways you can collaborate in making the day more streamlined and efficient. For example, when done right, I find a half hour summary meeting on a Monday morning helps to set up my day and prioritise the most important tasks. This then creates a structure for the rest of the week.
So don’t get me wrong, routines need time to come together. When they do, they’re extremely beneficial. Just check out my New Morning Routine for a better example!
Prioritise and delegate
You might be feeling like everything needs to be done at once. You don’t have any time for any of it! 99% of the time, that isn’t the case.
Firstly, prioritise by timing and deadlines. Is there an upcoming deadline that absolutely can’t be missed? When you look at your list of things to do, it’s highly unlikely that everything is going to need to be done on the exact same date, at the exact same time. So, with deadlines in order, that’s the first place you should start.
If you still feel like your list is endless, then you can start to delegate some of the tasks on there. If it’s work related, is there someone who has some space available to help with some of the workload? Or if it’s in your personal, day-to-day tasks, is there someone in your household better equipped to take it on? If you’re starting to get overwhelmed with all the things you need to do, accept help where available and better prioritise the things you CAN do!
Reduce physical and mental clutter
Sometimes, the best way to improve your organisational habits is to start from scratch. Clear out and decluttering your surroundings. This applies both physically and mentally.
That might be taking time to sort through your wardrobe each season, getting ready to cycle between warm weather and colder weather appropriate attire. There may also be things in there you’ve had for years, saving them for a day you might wear it again. (Does that day ever come? I have to keep reminding myself!) Consciously organising and decluttering your surroundings can help you better practice organisational habits in other ways.
If you find you need to reduce mental clutter before tackling the physical issues, let me refer you back to point number 1. Write a list and get it all down on a piece of paper! It doesn’t always need to be a list of what to do next. Sometimes, it helps to get a few of your thoughts out and clear the mental fog. Then you can make room for the things you want to focus on next.
Focus on what’s important
Ultimately, you need to make sure that you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Organisation can mean different things to different people. For me, it’s meticulously planning every detail. For other people, it might just be getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to give them time for breakfast. Or it could mean putting away laundry as soon as it’s done so it doesn’t sit on the table for weeks…
But even though I like to meticulously plan, the plan doesn’t always come to fruition. Take my one-a-week blog routine for example. I had so much going on in my life, and I kept putting other things above writing more blog posts. Sometimes, that’s just the way that life works out. The reality is that I’ve been more focused on trying to further my career than my writing on the side. In theory they should go hand-in-hand, particularly when I write for a living!
Rather than being hard on myself, it’s time to move past and get it started again.
So just as I’m trying to do, pick and choose the tips and tricks that help you stay organised in your own way!
